Volunteers needed to help remake park

Heritage Park in downtown Redlands is about to undergo a massive transformation during the Helping Hands Community Service Day.

Sponsored by the Redlands Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the April 27 event is expected to bring together more than 2,000 volunteers to put up fences, install agricultural beds, spread mulch, lay down river rock and do other work to create a beautiful community showplace.

"It's going to be very exciting to be a part of the synergy that I know will be going on that day," said Rose Palmer, an LDS church spokeswoman and vice president of the Redlands Service Club Council. "When you have the energy of so many people working together, a lot can be accomplished in a very short amount of time."

Participants will be from the LDS church, local schools, community organizations and businesses, including Citrus Valley High School, the Boy Scouts of America and RE/MAX Real Estate team. Several local service organizations also will be involved, including the Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary and Optimist.

The city of Redlands acquired the land where Heritage Park sits in 1996 with money it received through Proposition O, which provides funds to beautify and clean up parks and land. The 18-acre property is north of Orange Avenue between Iowa and Nevada streets.

City officials have been dreaming for years of turning Heritage Park into a landmark that depicts the evolution of Redlands, according to Palmer. Although the city had the funds for such a project, it needed the manpower to get the job done.

"It is going to take a lot of volunteers for this to come together, and our church knows how to mobilize large groups of people," she said. "We are expecting about 1,200 LDS members to participate."

Each job has been well planned, according to Max Fisher, chairman and foremen of the project. Much of the prep work will be done before the day of the event to help speed things along. One example is fence posts will be primed ahead of time so that all the volunteers will need to do is paint and install them.

"Plans for this project were drawn up years ago, and the city has been looking forward to getting it under way," said Fisher, a licensed contractor who estimates the cost of the Heritage Park project to be upwards of $200,000. "Now, here we are ready to move ahead. We've come a really long way in a very short amount of time."

Features of the new Heritage Park will include walking trails, an animal enclosure, a Native American village and a Mormon colonization display from the 1850s. Also, 350 trees for the park were donated by Jack Dangermond, president of Redlands-based Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).

The project is still in need of volunteers, says Palmer who recommends they wear comfortable clothing, such as jeans and a T-shirt, as well as boots or sturdy shoes. Lunch will be provided to all volunteers courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Redlands.

"When we're finished, it's going to feel great to know we all had a hand in creating something that will last forever," she added.

Helping Hands Community Service Day

Where: Heritage Park, north of Orange Avenue between Iowa and Nevada streets